Woman accuses East St. Louis Asst. Police Chief of sexual assault

EAST ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – A 24-year-old woman has filed a complaint against Assistant East St. Louis Police Chief Ronald Ike after she says he sexually assaulted her.

The woman, a former participant of the Emerson Park Summer Youth Program, says the alleged assault happened during the first day of her internship. In response to the allegations, the police department has hired a private investigator to oversee the case.

“We have someone we work with on a regular basis to do background checks and polygraphs for our city employees,” City Manager Deletra Hudson said. “This is the same person I am having do the investigation for the city.”

The city says its private investigator has at least 15 years of law enforcement experience and has been used for internal investigations in the past.

“We understand the concern, but at the same time, because this person is not actually with the city of East St. Louis, we hope there is just a little bit more objectivity and perception objectivity so we can move forward with a fair and objective analysis of what has taken place,” said East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks.

The investigation is said to be roughly halfway finished. Hudson said she believes the investigator has yet to question Ike. City policy dictates a report must be completed by Thursday. Hudson promised transparency in the investigation and says the city is not trying to hide anything.

“If the allegations are true, we will reveal that and let the public know what consequences are in for Assistant Chief Ike,” Hudson said. “If they are not true, then we all owe Assistant Chief Ike and apology because there’s a lot of character assassination going on about him and his position here with the city.”

Hudson said a report may soon be released with conclusions or an announcement will be made indicating more time is needed for the investigation. She also said evidence will be turned over to another agency if necessary.